AEW TV - April 6/8 2022

[MoS]

Samoa Joe debuts in AEW! 

[El-P]

...against Max Caster, as to ensure he won't look as good as he could. Seriously Coach TK, this Max Caster nonsense has jumped the shark some time ago already. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see Joe, but he's at this point of his career where he needs the right opponents so he can shine the most. Caster is clearly in the S Tier (boomer not knowing how to talk like those pesky youngins) lower half of the AEW roster.

But anyway, it's pretty irrelevant. This week is entirely about FTR vs Young Bucks, which will most probably be terrific.

[MoS]

Isn't S Tier the term for the top tier

[El-P]

Yeah, thanks for reminding me I'm a boomer.

I mean ok Tier 

[KawadaSmile]

Joe will probably squash him within five minutes. Anything past that is a waste of everybody's time. 

He was fighting for his life against Kross in his last NXT match, and Kross wasn't even kicking his ass.

[Timbo Slice]

Joe will have to be used in spurts, and I also feel like he is going to want to play the hits one last time. Tony will absolutely want to run Joe/Punk, and considering Punk might actually beat Page for the title, and All Out is upon us, they could headline that as a swan song of sorts. 

[Flyin' Brian]

Tonight looks like a good show on paper.

Hoping FTR gets the win over the Bucks.

Hardys vs Butcher and Blade should be fun.

Cole and Cage is an interesting matchup, I think Christian will get a good match out of Cole.

Shawn Spears vs Shawn Dean will hopefully have a Wardlow appearance.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Samoa Joe has left in the tank, this should be an extended squash match. 

They have to do something with Julia Hart still wearing that eye patch eventually, right? Heel turn, pirate gimmick, female Nick Fury? Shida wins but that storyline needs to go somewhere or they need to drop it. 

[The Thread Killer]

I am most curious to see how they handle FTR vs. The Young Bucks Part Deux, from a booking perspective. There have been a lot of rumblings and rumours that The Bucks are not fond of FTR IRL and have wanted to, or tried to, basically bury them.  

Dax Harwood went so far as to joke about it in one of his promos leading up to their match with The Briscoes. He encouraged Dem Boys to sign with AEW, so they could job to the “EVP’s” and get buried like FTR had - and then The Briscoes and FTR could get on with having their match.  Of course, you can look at that two ways… Dax could have been saying it tongue-in-cheek and was just having fun with the online rumours, or he could have really been sniping at The Bucks.

Cody had said in an interview way back when that The Bucks were offended that people used to say The Revival are the best Tag Team in Pro Wrestling when they were with WWE, when The Bucks clearly think they are. I would say that even the most ardent Bucks fans would have to admit they are notoriously sensitive and thin skinned when it comes to people criticizing them in any way or questioning their status as the so-called “Best in the Business.”

Regardless of whether or not you believe it is just a stupid online rumor, a joke, or is there some truth to it, the way the initial match between the two teams was booked was a little strange if you ask me. There was so much hype around those two teams finally meeting that they had a custom T-shirt printed up for “The Dream Match.” They match up once (in front of next to no fans due to the pandemic) and The Bucks go over and then…that’s it. Rivalry finished! It might not be a burial, but it sure has all the signs of one. An argument can be made that The Bucks just wanted to get their win, make their statement and then disengage. Even if you don’t believe the conspiracy theories about a burial, I don’t know why that was never turned into a full-time feud or angle. It seem to me to be a wasted opportunity at the very least.

It’s a fact that CM Punk held off debuting with AEW until after the pandemic because he didn’t want to waste that opportunity by having it happen in front of no fans. I obviously don’t think that TK should have held off debuting FTR due to the pandemic, but he certainly could have kept those two teams apart until the fans came back. In fact, that was a golden opportunity to build up suspense and momentum for when they eventually did face off in front of fans, really build up the hype. Instead it was one and done and kind of unremarkable the way it was booked.

The Bucks are no longer booking the AEW Tag Division but they certainly have Tony Khan’s ear. I for one am not a fan of how FTR have been booked so far during their time with AEW. AEW has a much deeper Tag Division than NXT/WWE had (plus AEW actually treats Tag Team Wrestling seriously and not like an afterthought) but FTR’s greatest matches came in NXT despite all the potential matches they could and should have had so far in AEW. And that’s booking. They ended up jobbing to Sting and Darby, they lost to Moxley and Punk who aren’t even a team FFS. It’s hard not to wonder if somebody is trying to hamstring them.

Now we finally get to see the rematch tonight. All I can say is that if FTR ends up doing a clean job again, you are going to have a hard time convincing me that there is no truth to the rumors.

[KawadaSmile]

I, for one, would be shocked if the Bucks are revealed to be very insecure 

[El-P]

The idea that FTR were buried is completely ridiculous (I can only imagine from what corner of the Internet those rumors came from). AEW has done those one-big-match feuds forever, and rematches have been the exception more than the norm. They actually have done it to a fault, since in some cases it was indeed a bit frustrating to not have some rematches (like for instance the Mox vs Kingston match), but that's also one thing that made them very different from WWE. We did not get the second Bucks vs Lucha Brothers match forever either. That's how AEW operates, since day one.

[El-P]

And let's be real now. What I would REALLY love but won't happen, is the Briscoes showing up at Dynamite "uninvited" and cost the Bucks the match, or attack them afterward.

[sek69]

Dax is known for stirring the pot and always working in that old school way, so I would take everything he says with a grain of salt. I'm sure on some level he's annoyed at the Bucks thinking they are better than him, but at the end of the day business is business. 

[Migs]

2 hours ago, The Thread Killer said:

Regardless of whether or not you believe it is just a stupid online rumor, a joke, or is there some truth to it, the way the initial match between the two teams was booked was a little strange if you ask me. There was so much hype around those two teams finally meeting that they had a custom T-shirt printed up for “The Dream Match.” They match up once (in front of next to no fans due to the pandemic) and The Bucks go over and then…that’s it. Rivalry finished! It might not be a burial, but it sure has all the signs of one. An argument can be made that The Bucks just wanted to get their win, make their statement and then disengage. Even if you don’t believe the conspiracy theories about a burial, I don’t know why that was never turned into a full-time feud or angle. It seem to me to be a wasted opportunity at the very least.

The built to the original match was undermined by the Bucks being in the process of turning heel. Right after the match, they completed the turn, and were (1) in a different angle and (2) not well aligned for another match with FTR. 

Ironically, I think they are striking while the iron is hot now, because the Bucks are likely to be faces whenever Kenny gets back, and FTR is in the process of turning face. They need to get the match in now or it might be a while before it works again.

[The Thread Killer]

1 hour ago, El-P said:

And let's be real now. What I would REALLY love but won't happen, is the Briscoes showing up at Dynamite "uninvited" and cost the Bucks the match, or attack them afterward.

You will get no argument from me whatsoever. I think it’s pretty much criminal that those guys are not signed somewhere big right now, whether it be AEW preferably or even NXT/WWE. From a selfish standpoint I would much prefer to see them in AEW. This past weekend just confirmed what I already knew and that is they are still one of the best teams out there.  I know there is still some residual heat on them for that tweet by Jay nine years ago, but they have apologized multiple times since then, I don’t know what else they need to do to get past it. It’s not like it is an ongoing issue. An authority no less than EFFY has said that they are “changed men” and are a welcome presence in the locker room. It would be a whole different story if they were still saying stuff like that to this day, but they have been contrite about this whole issue for nine years now, I honestly think it’s time to let that go.

[Timbo Slice]

Bucks have been Very Not Good for going on five years now. They will always have their fans but the style has gotten stale and their shtick has gotten worse. They’re also electively not wrestling as much anymore, either our of spite or because (more than likely) they’re banged up and don’t want to let folks on about it. But I wouldn’t put anything past them being thin-skinned, as they’ve ridden universal acclaim for so long and have been able to say, “LOL MILLIONAIRES” in the face of their detractors that now even that shtick is getting old. And when you run out of cards to play, well…

[Flyin' Brian]

1 hour ago, El-P said:

And let's be real now. What I would REALLY love but won't happen, is the Briscoes showing up at Dynamite "uninvited" and cost the Bucks the match, or attack them afterward.

I would be up for that.

[El-P]

16 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

I know there is still some residual heat on them for that tweet by Jay nine years ago, but they have apologized multiple times since then, I don’t know what else they need to do to get past it. It’s not like it is an ongoing issue. An authority no less than EFFY has said that they are “changed men” and are a welcome presence in the locker room. It would be a whole different story if they were still saying stuff like that to this day, but they have been contrite about this whole issue for nine years now, I honestly think it’s time to let that go.

Agree 100%.

[sek69]

FWIW, it seems like Tony does want to sign him, but if it would piss off his TV partner I don't expect him to die on that hill. The Briscoes are great and by all accounts Jay (AFAIK Mark never said anything and just kind of got grouped in all of this), seems to have realized what he said was fucked up, but at the same time what he said was REALLY fucked up. It's not like he said something like "I don't care for gay people" he said he would literally shoot anyone trying to teach his kids being gay was ok. In an era where LGBT+ folks are seeing an increase of rhetoric against them in the political world, I can see a company being awfully concerned having someone who said something like that on their TV show. 

[Stiva]

I think they’re showing up tonight tbh. You don’t shoot that angle at ROH if you’re not going to run the match and, with no ROH shows to speak of coming up, you pretty much have to have them come in and cost the Bucks the match tonight, I’d say

[strobogo]

Dax especially would benefit from staying off Twitter

[The Thread Killer]

Quite honestly, if Tony Khan gets a TV deal for ROH, I would be fine with the Briscoes staying there. You would have to imagine they will now be paid a lot better than they have been in previous years. And maybe that would be the best place for them.

[Flyin' Brian]

2 hours ago, El-P said:

The idea that FTR were buried is completely ridiculous (I can only imagine from what corner of the Internet those rumors came from). AEW has done those one-big-match feuds forever, and rematches have been the exception more than the norm. They actually have done it to a fault, since in some cases it was indeed a bit frustrating to not have some rematches (like for instance the Mox vs Kingston match), but that's also one thing that made them very different from WWE. We did not get the second Bucks vs Lucha Brothers match forever either. That's how AEW operates, since day one.

Hearing that idea (most recently on Cornette's podcast) the way it was presented I agreed with it as far as recently but looking at the matches overall since FTR came into the company you're right. FTR has only lost 6 tag matches since their debut in AEW 18 months ago today. They lost to the Bucks, Ortiz and Santana, Darby and Sting, Lucha Bros twice, and Punk and Moxley. 31-6 is a pretty good record. The argument I can buy is they haven't had many matches this year on TV, only 4 on Dynamite (loss to Punk and Mox, the two tag team battle royals that they didn't win, beating the Gunns last week. one win on Rampage and one on Dark Elevation. 

[Timbo Slice]

“Buried” almost always means “not featured in high profile matches on regular basis on featured TV” when it’s brought up, so that’s more than likely what folks mean. That will more than likely change given ROH involvement but they usually do well given any type of exposure.

[sek69]

Also, and this might not be a popular take here,  apologizing isn't a magic wand that wipes away your past behavior.  Yeah it's  great someone can look back and past deeds and say "wow I certainly fucked up there, I'm sorry", just doing that doesn't mean they are automatically entitled to the same opportunities as before. Words/behaviors have consequences, and an apology doesn't mean someone can't still say "yeah I'm gonna pass on having someone with that in their history work for me". Is it fair? Maybe not, but you can't un-ring the bell with an apology. 

[Flyin' Brian]

34 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Also, and this might not be a popular take here,  apologizing isn't a magic wand that wipes away your past behavior.  Yeah it's  great someone can look back and past deeds and say "wow I certainly fucked up there, I'm sorry", just doing that doesn't mean they are automatically entitled to the same opportunities as before. Words/behaviors have consequences, and an apology doesn't mean someone can't still say "yeah I'm gonna pass on having someone with that in their history work for me". Is it fair? Maybe not, but you can't un-ring the bell with an apology. 

I agree up to a point, but people can and do change. If they have shown through words and actions that they have, then they deserve a second chance. I don’t think they deserve to be punished for the rest of their careers for something they said 9 years ago. What he said was awful and he doesn’t deserve a pass either, but if it’s been acknowledged by him that it was wrong and there’s been no repeat then I think at some point he’s paid enough for it.